Tuesday, April 15, 2008

When someone mentions cupcakes, there are usually two places that are at the forefront of peoples' minds...both of which are preceded by their reputations and the long lines associated with trying their wares. The East Coast has Magnolia Bakery in New York City, who's popularity has definitely been bolstered by appearances on shows like Sex and the City and in NYC based movies like The Devil Wears Prada. On the other side of the country, in Beverly Hills lies Sprinkles Cupcakes. With features on many TV talkshows and in popular shows like HBO's Entourage, it's no wonder that Hollywood is in an uproar for Sprinkles cupcakes. The problem with both of these places is that in order to enjoy either of their tantalizing little cakes of goodness, you have to deal with long lines and a long wait. Not liking waiting in line for anything (and I have stood in line for both Magnolia AND Sprinkles), I was sure that there just had to be another alternative...one that wouldn't require me to spend all day in line for a few minutes of culinary pleasure. Luckily (for us all), I've found it in the Baby Cakes Baking Company in Torrance, CA...

It was really just coincidence that we found Baby Cakes. My wife just happened to get a flyer/coupon for Baby Cakes and thought it looked interesting. I particularly loved the name. We happened to be running some errands in that area one day and stopped in to give it a try.

The bakery is tucked away on a little strip at the corner of Hawthorne Boulevard and PCH in Torrance. It's an unassuming looking place with a nice sign and a clean and simply decorated interior. Originally, our plan was just to stop in and pick up a cupcake or two just to give it a try but we ended up walking out of there with a half-dozen. It all looked (and smelled) so good that we just couldn't help ourselves. We really wanted to try them all but had to exercise at least SOME restraint. I mean...it is only the two of us that would be eating them after all.

When we first walked into the bakery, from across the room I spotted just what I was hoping that they would have. I spotted the tell-tale color that could only be one thing...Red Velvet cupcakes. I fell in love with Red Velvet cupcakes several years ago while visiting New York City's Buttercup Bake Shop (started by one of the original partners of Magnolia). They just always seem to be more moist and tastier than your average "vanilla" cupcake, and the ones from Baby Cakes didn't disappoint. The Red Velvet cake was perfectly moist, and the icing was the perfect sweetness. It is cupcake perfection.

The next one we tried was the Italian Orange. This cupcake is corn meal based, making for quite a different taste and consistency than your average cupcake. It definitely is not as sweet as the others so this would probably be a wise choice for someone not so keen on sweets. While it was not my favorite, it was very good and definitely worth a try.

Next up was the Rich Chocolate w/ Chocolate Mousse. This cupcake is ideal for the true chocolate lover as it features a rich, moist chocolate cake topped with a creamy chocolate mousse icing. Being a chocolate lover myself, I could eat these things for days. If you're a chocoholic like myself, this one is on the must-have list.

The last cupcake we tried was the Vanilla w/ Vanilla Bean Buttercream. As the name suggests, it's a vanilla cupcake topped with Vanilla Bean Buttercream for icing. What isn't evident from the name is that this cupcake is filled with a fresh whipped cream filling. The cupcake alone is really good...the filling is just, "the icing on the cake" so to speak. This cupcake is sweet, creamy and oh-so delectable. Definitely a must-have.

While the cupcakes we had were all very different in flavor, there is one thing that was the same through out; the quality and freshness. All of the cupcakes we had were fresh and moist and it's evident that they are made in small, labor-of-love, batches. Lucky for us, there wasn't any line to wait in either(at least not yet). It was walk-in, order, and eat. No lines, no waiting. Although, I suspect that this may eventually change as the word gets out (no thanks to me and this blog). Now that i've found the Baby Cakes Baking Company I can formally say..."Sprinkles, who?"

11 comments:

Mmmmm. Fat War officially over. =) That sounds tastey... but honestly out of all the cupcakes I've eaten I'm still just a simple black bottom lover. Still trying to find the perfect version of that. Besides, I've never been a fan of Magnolia. Don't know what the big deal is.

Yeah, I'm a big black bottom fan as well...but not too many places make em. At least, very few place out west. In fact, I think the closest that i've seen out here is at The Coffee Bean. They have a chocolate cupcake with cream cheese filling that is pretty similar...

Spro Coffee has a mean black bottom cupcake! DUHness to you both .. chipmunk, your mom makes these oh-so-perfectly mosit & tasty black bottoms. Old age has clearly affected your memories .. or in the seed's case, lack of food has made him delirious. I believe seed's sister can attest to their goodness. In fact, I seem to recall seeing the seed scarf down .. uh, i mean sample 1 or 2 at your house in the past. Although that was most definitely in his chubbier days. Boo to skinny seed! Time to get your eat on in europe! See you on the other side.

Yes...Spro has top notch blackbottoms. That, of course, comes from years of my critiquing. My Mom started making black bottoms because of me (had them at some bake shop A LONG TIME AGO and she started making them because I liked them)...

11:30?! That's pretty early. Sounds like that place needs to up their production or something...